Pneumococcal Vaccine
A brief article in Reuters Health today, reported that the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has recommended that children, previously vaccinated with Prevnar®, receive a 5th booster shot using the new version. To whom this recommendation was given isn't noted.
I can't say that I am fully aware of the interaction (read: symbiotic relationship) between all of the players in this game. But, I do know that, just minutes before the recommendation was proffered, the FDA approved the updated vaccine. Makes me wonder.
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Read More Pneumococcal Vaccine
Recommending a new-and-improved version of a vaccine is nothing bad, in and of itself. The original Prevnar® was designed to protect against the seven most common serotypes (strains) of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Six additional strains have been added to the updated vaccine.
Again, not bad news. Unless, of course, you are of the opinion that we are over-vaccinating our children. (I am of two minds on that one, and must save that (lengthy) opinion for another day.) Or unless you question the validity of recommendations and approvals that occur almost simultaneously. Wonder who was on the phone with whom? "Stall, stall! We've almost got approval!"
I just don't know. How much faith can we put in the approval process, when things like this happen? And, what is - really - in these vaccines?
The standard warning / disclaimer for any medication: this {insert function here} is contraindicated (should not be used) by anyone with hypersensitivity to any component, is included in the information about Prevnar®. Not unexpected. Highly unexpected: diphtheria toxoid is one of the components in the original version. There is no reason to believe that it isn't, also, in the revised version.
This concerns me. Diphtheria, a serious bacterial infection of the mucous membranes in the nose and throat, is not caused by or, as far as I can tell, related to Streptococcus pneumoniae. According to the Mayo Clinic, and the National Institutes of Health, Corynebacterium diphtheriae causes Diphtheria.
What - exactly - is the purpose behind including a Diphtheria toxin in a streptococcal / pneumonia vaccine? How does this interact with the DPT shots that kids are getting at about the same time?
